Cleantech Commons and Bioenterprise sign MOU
Guelph/Peterborough, 17 February 2021 – A new partnership is bringing accelerator services to a cleantech-focused university research park currently under development.
Bioenterprise, Canada’s Food & Agri-Tech Engine, and Cleantech Commons, an innovation park affiliated with Trent University in Peterborough, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will enable the two organizations to join forces in advancing clean technology innovations.
Cleantech Commons’ new 85-acre research park will be home to start-ups and early-stage companies focused on clean, green, low-carbon, and sustainable technologies. It will provide services and support to help move innovations through commercialization.
The new collaboration will make Bioenterprise’s specialized ag and food expertise, national networks, and mentorship framework available to Cleantech Commons clients while bringing new cleantech opportunities into Canada’s Food & Agri-Tech Engine. Both organizations will also benefit from being able to access provincial and national funding opportunities through joint proposals that support innovation.
“We are looking forward to being part of this innovation park and helping Cleantech Commons clients on their journeys to commercialization,” says Dave Smardon, Bioenterprise CEO. “At the same time, it’s exciting for us to be able to open up Canada’s Food and Agri-Tech Engine to new entrepreneurs and create opportunities that will support growth in our sector and our economy.”
“At Cleantech Commons, we are creating a Canadian hub for collaborative clean technology innovation that brings together industry with academia, students, and the research community to create solutions to global energy, environmental, and climate challenges,” says Martin Yuill, Cleantech Commons Executive Director. “This partnership with Bioenterprise will better enable us to offer targeted business acceleration services to our clients to support their development of technologies that will help move us all closer to a net-zero future and generate sustainable, high-value cleantech jobs for Canada.”
In addition to a suite of business acceleration services, Cleantech Commons will also provide incubation programming and co-working spaces for aspiring student entrepreneurs, as well as commercialization training for researchers.
Bioenterprise is Canada’s Food & Agri-Tech Engine, bringing more than 15 years of industry experience and a national and international network of research institutions, academia, mentors and experts, government, and industry to help small and medium-sized businesses in the sector nationwide Connect, Innovate, and Grow. Through its sector-savvy service partner network, Bioenterprise offers a wide range of business expertise and support to its clients, and partnerships with other industries help open doors to new technologies and platforms to help the agri-tech and food sector innovate and grow. Visit www.bioenterprise.ca to learn more.
A partnership between Trent University and the City of Peterborough, Cleantech Commons is a research park currently under construction adjacent to Trent’s main campus in Peterborough, ON. Focused on clean, green, low-carbon, and sustainable technologies, Cleantech Commons is designed to support the development and commercialization of solutions that address global energy, environmental, and climate challenges, provide experiential learning for students and employment opportunities for graduates and create opportunities for industry/academic research collaboration. Visit https://cleantechcommons.ca.
-30-
For more information:
Dave Smardon, Bioenterprise, dave.smardon@bioenterprise.ca or 519-821-2960
Martin Yuill, Cleantech Commons, martinyuill@trentu.ca or 705-740-4511
Not yet following us on social media? Follow Bioenterprise on Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for industry news, events, and business development opportunities.